Skip to main content

Featured

Strawberry Tree

Since moving to Washington, I have discovered a great number of new trees. One of my favorites is the Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus unedo ). It is a four-season tree with semi-glossy evergreen leaves and lovely mahogany bark. In autumn, clusters of white flowers appear, bearing a resemblance to Lily-of-the-Valley flowers. And then there are the little fruits, which resemble strawberries that appear at the same time as the flowers. I am not sure why, but I have only seen a few fruits on ours. I don't know if birds are getting them before I see them or what happens. The fruits are said to be edible but not very tasty (to humans). This year, our tree is loaded with flowers, the most I've ever seen. Bees absolutely love it and so do the hummingbirds. The flowers usually continue to appear straight through winter, and it can be blooming even during the coldest periods of winter. Aside from the fact that I have not seen much of the colorful fruits, the major negative note is the fact tha
1 comment
Read more

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day for June 2018

kniphofia-shining-scepter
Kniphofia 'Shining Scepter'

 June has been glorious so far and we finally got some much needed rain last week. Not a lot but enough to make the garden happy. It is going to get hot next week and we really dread it. The changing weather trends really sickens me but I try not to dwell on it.

 On to the blooms -

 I am in love with the Red Hot Pokers (Kniphofia). My current favorite is 'Shining Scepter' in the above photo. 'Orange Crush' is really nice too.
kniphofia-orange-crush
Kniphofia 'Orange Crush'

Another favorite are the clematis. This one was an unidentified one that I brought home from the nursery last year. It appears to be 'Niobe'.
clematis-niobe
Clematis 'Niobe'

clematis-durandii
Clematis durandii

clematis-princess-diana
Clematis 'Princess Diana'
clematis-jackmanii-superba
Clematis 'Jackmanii Superba'

Another rescue from the nursery last year, Veronica 'Vernique White' was covered in powdery mildew. I brought it home, cut it back and sprayed with Neem oil. It is fine now and this has to be the #1 plant for attracting bees. Every time I look at it, it is covered with them.

veronica
Veronica 'Vernique White'


I have been a bit wary of campanulas and their aggressiveness but so far, 'Sarastro' seems to be well-behaved.
campanula-sarastro
Campanula 'Sarastro'

Not so with this penstemon - I can't find the variety name but this is the only one I have noticed that may be trying to take over.


penstemon
Penstemon


Hummingbirds love Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' - it is by far their favorite annual.
cuphea-vermillionaire
Firecracker Plant (Cuphea 'Vermillionaire')


nicotiana-fragrant-cloud
Nicotiana 'Fragrant Cloud'


Another penstemon that I really like is 'Pocahontas' -

penstemon-pocahontas
Penstemon 'Pocahontas'


Hebes, I've killed a few. It was rewarding to see this one living and blooming.

hebe-variegata
Hebe 'Variegata'


potentilla-fireball-2
Potentilla 'Fireball'


rose-campion
Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria)


Sedum-forsterianum-antique-grill

Sedum forsterianum 'Antique Grill'


Hypericum-inodorum-pumpkin
St. John's Wort (Hypericum inodorum 'Pumpkin')

phlomos-jerusalem-sage
Jerusalem Sage (Phlomis 'Quilted Leaf')


hydrangea-ruby-slippers
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Ruby Slippers'


geranium-rozanne-spirea
Geranium 'Rozanne' and Spirea


sweet-peas
We can grow Sweet Peas!


rose-robin-hood
Rose 'Robin Hood'


rose-lady-emma-hamilton
English Rose 'Lady Emma Hamilton'


rose-ketchup-mustard
'Ketchup and Mustard'


rose-climbing-iceburg
'Climbing Iceburg'

Michael babies the fuchsia pots on the deck with loving care. They will need it with next week's heat wave.

fuchsia-red-spider
Fuchsia 'Red Spider'


fuchsia-deltas-sarah
Fuchsia 'Delta Sarah'


fuchsia-gartenmeister-bonstedt
Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister Bonstadt'


abutilon-megapotamicum-variegatum
Flowering Maple (Abutilon megapotamicum variegatum)

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is hosted by May Dreams Gardens. Check out what is blooming in other blogger's gardens around the world. 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post

Comments

  1. Penny PostJune 15, 2018 at 3:51 AM

    Beautiful colours and textures.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LINDA from Each Little WorldJune 15, 2018 at 6:03 AM

    What a great group of bloomers you have. I usually don't like St. John's wort or Potentilla but I am going to have check out the two you are growing. So much more interesting that the usual ones I see. As for your rose, I had a big Emma Hamilton (the woman, not the rose) phase. Very interesting woman if you are not familiar with her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverJune 15, 2018 at 6:01 PM

      I am not familiar with her but will make a mental note to learn more about her, especially now that I have a rose named after her!

      Delete
  3. outlawgardenerJune 15, 2018 at 6:40 AM

    Lots of beautiful blooms in your garden! Your clematis are glorious. Kniphofias are really wonderful but I tend to kill them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. danger gardenJune 15, 2018 at 8:33 AM

    Lots of flowers! I especially like that intro shot with the Kniphofia. Your neighbors must be thrilled you moved into the neighborhood.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AlisonJune 15, 2018 at 8:39 AM

    I'm not looking forward to the heat next week either. I dislike it intensely, give me overcast skies and even a nice misty rain and I'm happy. Your flowers are stunning! I've never heard of that Potentilla, what a rich red! I wouldn't mind letting that purple Penstemon take over part of my garden, might it be 'Blackbird?' That first shot of the Kniphofia is wonderfully atmospheric.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverJune 15, 2018 at 6:00 PM

      I can give you plenty of the penstemon, assuming that it is easy to divide. 'Blackbird' does not ring a bell. I am not sure.

      Delete
  6. Arun GoyalJune 15, 2018 at 9:20 AM

    Oh lovely burst of flowers I envy your post since we cant grow clematis in our hot region but we can grow sweet peas as annual in spring

    ReplyDelete
  7. AaronJune 15, 2018 at 10:18 AM

    So many nice plants! The Cuphea is pretty awesome. I'm trying to grow Salvia coccinea here to feed the hummers. Growing it from seed scattered outdoors and just saw the first blooms today.

    You mentioned it's going to get hot where you are? Welcome to our world. We've been sitting in the high 80s and low 90s for weeks now with high humidity to boot. It's been a hot start to summer for sure down south. I'm guessing you don't miss it one bit.

    Very impressed with your fuschias and sweet peas too. I remember trying to grow sweet peas one of my first years gardening here in Tennessee. They sure burn up pretty quick in our steamy summers, but looks like it's a good choice for the PNW...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lisa at GreenbowJune 15, 2018 at 1:45 PM

    What gorgeous blooms. I had Kniphofia in my garden before. I don't have enough sun here for them. I love fuchias. I don't believe I have ever seen a blue one, purple, pink, white but not blue, beautiful! And who wouldn't want this tasty Ketchup and Mustard in their garden. Happy GBBD.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hoover BooJune 15, 2018 at 3:06 PM

    Beautiful blooms. I tried one Kniphofia and killed it.

    I'm not a fan of heat, either. At least you got some recent rain...good luck with next week. Our heat came this week--can't wait for a break from it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rainy Day GardenerJune 16, 2018 at 1:41 PM

    I've been a bit obessessed with veronica of late. I've added three blue varieties to my garden thus far and have been tempted by white...I might have to bite now! Happy GBBD!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverJune 17, 2018 at 10:22 PM

      I would not usually buy white but they were free. I do love them though!

      Delete
  11. chavlinessJune 18, 2018 at 9:38 AM

    The vignette of the climbing iceberg is charming.
    I also have Penstemon 'Pocahontas' - I didn't realize that was it's name - and I love the blooms and leaf color combination: its quite striking. I let the dry seed pods stick round for a while. I don't mind if it reseeds a bit, I get to share with neighbors and friends. BTW, after killing a few Hebes, someone mentioned that the smaller the leaf, the better chance a Hebe will survive a winter; and I found that to be true.

    ReplyDelete
  12. RobinLJuly 1, 2018 at 6:46 PM

    Have I ever told you how much I look forward to reading your posts? I’m quite jealous of your neighbors who get to see it all the time.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts